Planter



(No Model.) 2 sheets-#sheen 1.

A. L. JOHNSON. PLANTBR.

No. 462,712. Patented Nov. 10.1891.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. L. JOHNSON.

PLANTER.

No. 462,712. Patented Nov. 10,1891.

arnzays.

Worn-umu., wumncrron o L UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ANDREV L. JOHNSON, OF GREENEVILIAE, TENNESSEE.

PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 462,712, dated November 10, 1891.

Application iiled December 3, 1890- Serial No. 373,448. (No model.)

To au whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW L. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greeneville, in the county of Greene and State of Tennessee,have invented certain new and Vuseful Improvements in Planters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates, generally, to seeders and planters, and particularly to improvements in that class thereofwhich is known as walking-planters; and it consists in the improved construction and arrangement or combination of parts hereinafter fully disclosed in the description, drawings, and claims.

The objects of my invention are to provide the planter with an improved adjustable furrow-closer and improved mechanism, whereby said furrow-closer may be readily shifted from side to side of a furrow. These obj ects I accomplish by the improved mechanisms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which the same reference-numerals indicate the same parts, and in which- Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section of a planter embodying my improvements, the section being taken on the irregular line c :c on Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a top plan view of the same, the cover of the hopper being open and the slot and set-screw in the adjustable gage-plate shown in dotted lines; Fig. 3, a perspective rear View of the planter, looking thereat from its left side and with the left handle omitted; and Fig. 4, aperspective front View of the same, looking thereat from its right side and with the right handle omitted.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the tongue or beam of the planter, to the front end of which the draft-power is applied, and to the rear end thereof is secured the furrow-opening 2,which may be, generally, ot' any of the ordinary or suitable constructions, but which is provided along its sides with the curved and rearwardly-projecting flanges 3 and also with the forwardly-extending arms 4 at its upper end, which are secured to the sides of the wide rearend of said tongue or beam. The handles 5 are also secured to the sides of said beam by the nutted bolt 6, which also passes through the front ends of said arms 4; also, the handles are supported and braced by the upper ends of the standards 7, which are forwardly curved along their lower ends and secured to the side flanges 3 of the furrow-opener. The feed box or hopper Sis mounted upon the wide rear end of thebeam and removably securedthereto by the hooks and staples S or similar devices; also, in the recess 9 in the rear end of said beam is secured the discharge tube or spout I0, which registers at its upper end with the exit-opening Il in the rear end of the bottom of said hopper and extends downwardly between the rearwardlyprojecting flanges 3 of the furrow-opener 2, so as to avoid injury from roots, stones, and the like. In the rear end of the hopper above said exitopening is secured the cut-oit brush l2, which is arranged and adapted to retard or prevent the passage into said discharge-spout of a greater amount of grain than is necessary or desired; also, upon the bottom of the hopper, inside thereof, are secured the ribs or guides 13, between which the feed-slide 14 is reciprocated, which is formed nearits rear end with the measuring-opening l5, into the front end of which extends the downturned lip 16 of the sliding or adjustable gage-plate 17, which is seated in the longitudinal depression 1S, formed in the upper surface of said slide, is formedwith the slot 19, through which is passed the set-screw 20 for holding it in the positions to which it may be adjusted, and is employed for regulating the quantity of grain discharged through the exit-opening ll in accordance with the position of its downturned lip within the opening l5. Inside of the hopper the plate or cover 2l extends over the front portion of the feed-slide l-i for relieving the same from the weight ofv the grain, and thus securing its easy operation, and also for avoiding contact of the grain with the slotted portion of said gage-plate. The feedslide is made somewhat longer than the hopper, so that its ends will project through slots in the end walls thereof, and it is provided at its ends with the front and rear eyes 22 and 23. The eye 22 is engaged by the arm 22 of the two-armed helical spring 24, which is se- IOO cured to the front end of the hopper andV serves to draw said feed-slide forwardly, so

that the opening near the rear end thereof will be normally out of alignment with the purpose, it is only necessary to release the arm 22 of the spring 24E from the eye 22, push said slide forwardly, and disengage the eye 23 from the long arm 25 of said crank-shaft. This crank-shaft is also provided with the short arm 28, which is connected by the rod 29 to the bell-crank hand-lever 30, which is pivoted to the handle on the right side of the planter and adapted to be operated by the fingers for'intermittently moving said feedslide rearwardly and discharging the grain.

On a line with the rear end of the beam and between the standards 7 is rmly secured the rectangular yoke or guide 3l, the lower portion or bar 32 thereof being formed on its front edge with the ange or rib 33, the ends thereof terminating a short distance inward from the ends of said lower bar and forming the notches 34. Above this yoke or guide 3l and between said standards 7 is journaled the rock-shaft 35, around a portion of which is wrapped the spiral spring 36, which has its ends secured, respectively, to the adjacent standard Vand said rock-'shaftY and operates with a tendency to turn the latter forwardly, so that the hand-lever 37, which is pivoted to the center of said shaft, will have its lower end normally pressed against the flange or rib 33 on the front side of the lower bar 32 of said yoke or guide. This hand-lever 37 projects upwardly between the handles to such a height as to be within convenient reach of the operator and has its lower end formed with the opening or loop 38, which encircles the beam 39, which passes through the guide 3l, is partly supported thereby,

and has its rear portion curved downwardly and forwardly for forming the standard 40, to the lower end of which the furrow-closer 4l is attached. The front end of this beam is provided with the clevis 42, which is loosely fitted upon the supporting-bar 43, secured to the rear end of the main beam 1. This supporting -bar is slightly curved downwardly, so that when the beam 39 of said furrow-closer is moved laterally by the handlever 37 the ends of said bar will slightly raise said furrow-closer and permit the same to be moved to the upper sides of furrows formed on the sides of hills.

' The operation and manner of using` my improved planter are readily comprehensible from the foregoing, but further explanation thereof may be made as follows: After the hopper has been supplied with grain andthe planter is being drawn forwardly, the operator pressesthe long arm of the bell-crank lever 30 against the handle at intervals for effecting the intermittent delivery of a proper quantity of grain from the hopper through the discharge tube or spout l0 and into the furrow marked outby the furrow-opener 2, where it is covered by the furrow-closer 4l. When this bell-crank lever is operated, it will pull upon the rod 29,turn the crank-shaft 26, and move the feed-slide 14 rearwardly, so as to deliver the grain contained in its opening l5 through the exit-opening ll in the bottom of the hopper and said discharge-spout l0."

After the grain has been thus dropped and pressure has been removed from said bellcrank lever, the feed-slide will be drawn forwardly by the helical spring 24: on the front end of the hopper and placed in position for making another delivery of grain. Then the planter is in operation, the furrow-closer 4l is heldin fixed position by theloop 38 on thelower end of the hand-lever 37, catching and pressing against either end of the iiange or rib 33 on the yoke or guide 3l. If it be desired to move said furrow-closer to the opposite side of the planter, as when planting on the sides of hills, the upper end of said hand-lever is first drawn rearwardly, so as to move its lower end forwardly and release its loop from the notch 34 at the end of said rib. It is then moved laterally upon its pivot on the rock- Shaft 35, so as to shift said furrow-closer to the desired position and hold it there bythe engagement of said loop with the notch at the other end of said rib, which is effected by the tendency of the spiral spring 36, which surrounds a portion of said rock-shaft, to force the lower end of said lever and its loop rearwardly. By unfastening the hooks and staples 8, detaching the connecting-rod 29 and the bell-crank hand-lever 30, and removing the hopper, my improved planter can be successfully used as a plow.

Having thus fully describedv the construction and arrangement of the parts and features of my invention, the manner in which it is operated, and its advantages, what I claim as new isl. In a planter, the combination, with the handles, the beam, the furrow-opener secured to the rear end of the latter, and the standards secured to said handles4 and furrowopener, of a yoke or guide secured between said standards and a laterally-adj ustable furrow-closer and beam, the latter passing through and being partly supported by said guide, and means for adjusting said furrowcloser and its beam and for holding them in place, substantially as described.

2. In a'planter, the combination, with the handles, the beam,the furrow-opener secured to the rear end of the latter, and the standards secured to said handles and furrowopener, of a yoke or guide secured between said standards, a supporting-bar secured to the rear end of said beam, a laterally-adj ust- IOO IIO

able furrow-closer and beam, the latter passing through said guide and being provided with a clevis at its front end,which is loosely connected to said supporting-bar, and means for adjusting said furrow-closer and its beam and for holding them in place, substantially as described. A

3. In a planter, the combination, with asuitable supporting-frame provided With a yoke or guide and supporting-bar, of a furrowcloser having the front end of itsbeam loosely connected to said bar, a hand-lever for adjusting said furrow-closer and its beam laterally, and means for holding them in the positions to Which they may be adjusted, substantiall y as described.v

4. In a planter, the combination, with a suitable supporting-frame provided with a yoke or guide and supporting-bar, of a furrowcloser having the front end of its beam loosely connected to said bar, a handflever provided with an opening or loop at its lower end for adjusting' said furrow-closer and its beam laterally, and means for holding them in the positions to which they may be adjusted, substantially as described.

5. In a planter, the combination, with a suitable supporting-frame provided with a yoke or guide and supporting-bar, said guide being provided with a ange or rib having notches at its ends, of a furrow-closer having the front end of its beam loosely connected to said bar, a hand-lever provided with a loop at its lower end, which is adapted for engagement with and disengagement from said notches and for adjusting said furrow-closer and its beam laterally, and the spring-controlled rock-shaft to which said hand-lever is pivoted, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ANDREV L. JOHNSON.

lVitnesses:

J. F. BAXTER, J. C. P ARK. 

